It was Mark Robins who supposedly saved Sir Alex Ferguson’s job 28 years ago, but this result had severe repercussions for his old team-mate.

Mark Hughes was facing the sack this week regardless of an upset against League Two side Coventry and was dismissed late on Saturday night as the Stoke board reluctantly took action.

Coventry, third in their division under the shrewd management of Robins, deserved their victory after Jack Grimmer’s 67th minute goal secured the most memorable triumph in their troubled recent history. They were FA Cup-winners in 1987, and though there have only been lows under the detested Sisu regime, this was a day to savour for Coventry, their long-suffering supporters and manager.

Jack Grimmer’s winner gave Coventry another great FA Cup memory but ended the reign of Stoke manager Mark Hughes.

Defender Grimmer struck in the second half to push Hughes closer to the exit following the Sky Blues’ 2-1 third-round win, and hours later he had been sacked.

Charlie Adam cancelled out Jordan Willis’ opener but Sky Bet League Two outfit Coventry outfought and outfoxed Stoke at the Ricoh Arena.

Coventry boss Mark Robins scored the goal for Manchester United in 1990 against Nottingham Forest which is widely accepted to have saved Sir Alex Ferguson’s job as head of a team which also included Hughes.

Now Hughes’ former team-mate effectively condemned him to the sack after a deserved victory for the home side, who won the FA Cup in 1987 but have fallen on tough times in recent years.

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League Two side Coventry cranked up the pressure on Stoke boss Mark Hughes by pulling off a stunning upset in the FA Cup third-round.

The hosts took the lead when Jordan Willis headed the Sky Blues ahead after 24 minutes. Charlie Adam slotted a second half equaliser home from the penalty spot after the break, only for Jack Grimmer’s shot from outside the area with 20 minutes left to beat Jack Butland and seal a famous victory.

That means the Potters have lost six of their last eight matches, after having dropped into the Premier League relegation zone.

Coventry sunk back into the fourth tier for the first time since 1959 last season took advantage of the visitors’ inefficiency in front of goal with Stephen Ireland and Mame Biram Diouf coming well in the box but failing to strike.

Stoke City have sacked Mark Hughes in the wake of his side’s FA Cup third round exit at the hands of Coventry City and a dreadful run of league form which has seen the club slip into the relegation zone.

The Potters had considered dismissing the Welshman after their recent 1-0 defeat to Newcastle but thought better of it given the paucity of available managers with Premier League experience.

Jack Grimmer’s second-half winner at the Ricoh Arena was the final straw though, with away fans turning on Hughes yet again; a sign of the anger with Stoke’s slide throughout 2017 where they have won just two of their last 13 games in all competitions.

The decision ends Hughes’s five-year reign at the club, in which he achieved three ninth-placed finishes in a row before ending last season in 13th and continuing to show a lack of progress this season.

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Sky Sports

Coventry City manager Mark Robins says he wants to face Manchester United in the fourth round of the FA Cup.

Coventry beat Stoke City 2-1 in their third-round tie at the Ricoh Arena on Saturday, a result that led to the sacking of Potters boss Mark Hughes.

Robins says the League Two side - who won the FA Cup in 1987 - are now eyeing a fourth-round fixture against Jose Mourinho’s United, after they secured their spot in the fourth-round draw with a 2-0 win over Derby on Friday.

“Now, Manchester United in the next round,” Robins told the Coventry’s official website.

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“It was a hard-fought win, but a deserved one. I thought we were magnificent and it’s a really proud day for me.

“I remember when I was here before. We went down to White Hart Lane in the third round and Tottenham had Gareth Bale and Clint Dempsey. They blew us away. I think Gary McSheffrey got us a goal late on that was disallowed but we never threatened them.

“Something I regret from that day is not coming out. We were frightened of the pace that players like Bale had. It was important that we tried to put them under pressure and make it as difficult for them as we could, and we did it.”